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unauthorized and illegal copy of the templar coin on ebay!


Mambomania

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Hello coin collectors

 

this post is just to let you know that there is a guy who sells unauthorized and illegal copies of the templar coin on ebay.com and ebay.ca!

 

Please don't buy one of those coins!!!

 

The coin also has the "track this coin at www.geocaching.com" phrase on it, but they don't have a tracking code and of course they are not trackable at the website.

 

Here is a picture of the original design

TemplarFoggyGoldBack.jpgTemplarFoggyGoldFront.jpg

 

and here one of the illegal copy:

tempcopygold.jpg

 

Thank you for NOT buying these coins!

 

Mambomania

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Just search for "KNIGHTS TEMPLAR MASON COIN AIRTIGHT" and you should find this person.

 

Mambomania, have you reported this person to eBay for copyright violation? I notice that the seller does not list the coin as trackable.

 

The front of the coin is extremely close to yours, though the back seems to be more 2D than yours. You don't suppose that something shady happened at the mint, do you? (It's just as possible that someone sent a coin to the mint directly and said "just like this", or sent very good photos.)

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I think all listings should definitely be reported as fraudulent. After all, the coins say "trackable at www.geocaching.com" and they are not. It's a clear counterfeit violating your intellectual property rights, so I'd highly recommend following that tree on the "report this item" option to get the ball rolling.

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One of the ebay pictures is better then the others. Okay, there is the "track at"-phrase on it but it says something other than "geocaching.com" (can't really read this, but it's not geocaching.com) - So hopefully noone will buy one of these coins and try to activate them :-)

 

If someone wants to help me, please report theses items on ebay.

Ebay will not forward your report to them!

 

Thank you !

 

Mambomania

Edited by Mambomania
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One of the ebay pictures is better then the others. Okay, there is the "track at"-phrase on it but it says something other than "geocaching.com" (can't really read this, but it's not geocaching.com) - So hopefully noone will buy one of these coins and try to activate them :-)

 

If someone wants to help me, please report theses items on ebay.

Ebay will not forward your report to them!

 

Thank you !

 

Mambomania

 

done

 

ILYK
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There is a way to find where the email address comes from. A cacher on the Maine forums knows how to check for the spammers that post there. You may find that the email comes from China or that all selling the fake coins are from the same place.

 

Opalsns

 

I just saw where the item is from Hong Kong.

So, it probabally has something to do with stealing from the within the mint ,

Although I'm not surprised it happened, shouldn't the Minter be responsible for something.

Edited by opalsns
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There is a way to find where the email address comes from. A cacher on the Maine forums knows how to check for the spammers that post there. You may find that the email comes from China or that all selling the fake coins are from the same place.

 

Opalsns

 

I just saw where the item is from Hong Kong.

So, it probabally has something to do with stealing from the within the mint ,

Although I'm not surprised it happened, shouldn't the Minter be responsible for something.

 

I would definitely contact your manufacturer and minter right away. This is definitely something that should be looked into at all levels right away! :D

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One of the sellers of this coin has a bunch of other coins actually labeled as geocoins (doesn't label the templar as the same).. A zombie hunter permit, a mind tricks (sure looks like a copy of the optical illusions)

 

The coins they label as geocoins have the Rising Sun Mint on them... are they legit by chance?

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One of the sellers of this coin has a bunch of other coins actually labeled as geocoins (doesn't label the templar as the same).. A zombie hunter permit, a mind tricks (sure looks like a copy of the optical illusions)

 

The coins they label as geocoins have the Rising Sun Mint on them... are they legit by chance?

 

Saw those coins yesterday. Sent a message to seller asking about the coins as never heard of the mint. If you visit the website for the mint you only get a icon but no access to the site. Have not received an answer from the seller at this time.

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The coin is far too close to yours to be a coincidence, however the image has been used before. I googled Knights Templar Mason images and found this one on a watch:

montre-templiers-bic_1.jpg

This one on a website about the Order of the Temple:

Templar%20Seal.jpg

And this, oddly on a link for a book about Jon Benet Ramsey:

The%20Knights%20Templar%20Seal.jpg

The red cross was in a lot of images.

So, I don't know if you can claim copyright for that image, but they definitely duplicated your coin design.

The seller looks like a coin collector, judging from his other items for sale. You should find out where he got these. Maybe some other coiners will remember, but weren't there a couple of issues a few years back with a mint making more coins on the side and selling them, or selling the dies? I recall there was a problem like this. Ask your mint what they did with the dies, and/or artwork.

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Uh oh, found a couple of other sellers selling the same thing. This one has a close up of the back of the coin where it looks like they replaced geocaching.com with another site. I'm thinking someone copied your design and resold it as something else.

 

Templar Coin on eBay

 

HEY... WAIT....!!!

 

This coin is not the original???

 

This one is different from the one in post 1, for the fake! (this one shows something like tracking number where the 2 knights are - Sorry, unfortunatelly I do not have this geocoin, so..I do not know if this is the place of the tracking number)!!!

 

It may look like it is not writing "geocaching.com", but it does!!! Check all the letters there (see from the "track at.....) and you will see that it says geocaching!!!!

 

the other fake one in post 1, is different from this one, so we may have 2 different fakes!!!!

 

The 2 knights seal was the seal of the Templars, so it was used again, but the thing that is saying.... track at geocaching.com... shows that the guy who copy it actually copy it from the original geocoin and actually didn't really know what the letters were meaning... so he copied this too (maybe he thought that it was a medieval thing and had to do with Templars!)!

 

That is so sad!!! Fake geocoins from China and Hong kong started coming!!! :D No... not like the real coins.... ;) When some guys see that they can get good money from something they copy it! :D

Fake coins are a plague in coin collecting... I hope this will not be in geocoins too! :lol:

 

You sould contact with the company! you are the maker, but they are responsible!!! They have the dies... right???

 

thank you for leting us know!!! I hope not many were cheated!

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Hmm... can I ask something?? Since it says geocaching.com on these fakes... can Groundspeak do something about it?? I mean.. it is not bad only for the maker of the real coin, but it is probably bad for geocaching too!

 

Can Groundspeak email to ebay too, or do whatever they can to find this guy.....???

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i've reported 2 of the ebay sellers. whether the seller knows these are bootleg copies or not, it shouldn't make a difference. they are selling cheap knock offs! sadly, we all know that if a good idea can be stolen, it will be stolen! we have seen it within the geocoin community, as some geocoin makers take ideas from other geocoins, and now we see it spread to the metal/coin minting and selling business. we should all look out for these cheap replicas and report any and all suspicious activity.

 

i myself was suspicious of a seller on ebay a few months ago, when one of my trojan horses turned up on ebay one day, but it wasn't in one of the finishes i produced! i took a closer look at the auction and realized this person had removed the "satin gold plating" for some reason (to sell the gold value?), and had then "hand painted" the geocoin to resemble a limited edition zeus, which was selling very well at the time. when i bid on the geocoin and asked the seller a question about it, he quickly ended the auction and never replied to my inquiry! :D i blocked him from bidding on my auctions. alot of strange activity goes on when something becomes popular and there may be some fast money to be made, even if they are ill-gotten gains. here is a picture of the ebay auction fake of my design:

 

1d9aaaf4-90c7-4b52-bd15-6d6d5f5d9fcf.jpg

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i've reported 2 of the ebay sellers. whether the seller knows these are bootleg copies or not, it shouldn't make a difference. they are selling cheap knock offs! sadly, we all know that if a good idea can be stolen, it will be stolen! we have seen it within the geocoin community, as some geocoin makers take ideas from other geocoins, and now we see it spread to the metal/coin minting and selling business. we should all look out for these cheap replicas and report any and all suspicious activity.

 

i myself was suspicious of a seller on ebay a few months ago, when one of my trojan horses turned up on ebay one day, but it wasn't in one of the finishes i produced! i took a closer look at the auction and realized this person had removed the "satin gold plating" for some reason (to sell the gold value?), and had then "hand painted" the geocoin to resemble a limited edition zeus, which was selling very well at the time. when i bid on the geocoin and asked the seller a question about it, he quickly ended the auction and never replied to my inquiry! :D i blocked him from bidding on my auctions. alot of strange activity goes on when something becomes popular and there may be some fast money to be made, even if they are ill-gotten gains. here is a picture of the ebay auction fake of my design:

 

1d9aaaf4-90c7-4b52-bd15-6d6d5f5d9fcf.jpg

 

Oh!!!! :D:lol::D:lol: They killed Achilles to make Zeus???? :lol::P

 

Hmm.. that's a serious thing!!! Cheaters!!! ;)

 

They removed the gold plating... (to sell the gold value?) ?????? Is it real gold plating? I mean... it is not only color??? Is the coin washed in 24K gold ???

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They removed the gold plating... (to sell the gold value?) ?????? Is it real gold plating? I mean... it is not only color??? Is the coin washed in 24K gold ???

there usually is a small amount of real gold in a gold plated geocoin. the reason i suspect this person removed the plating for gold was because he was also selling pure gold bars on ebay. i noticed he was buying many other inexpensive gold plated geocoins too (perhaps for the same purpose?). i was going to start a thread on the topic of geocoin forgeries, but when this topic appeared i decided to mention my experience as well. :D

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I have just reported the Hong Kong Seller + the two U.S. sellers of this templar geocoin copy to ebay for copyright infringement as the front of the coin is a clear copy of mambomania's design.

 

FYI: Search on "Templar Coin" rather than "Templar Geocoin" to find all the copies.

 

The more people that report this the better.

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The coin is far too close to yours to be a coincidence, however the image has been used before. I googled Knights Templar Mason images and found this one on a watch:

montre-templiers-bic_1.jpg

This one on a website about the Order of the Temple:

Templar%20Seal.jpg

And this, oddly on a link for a book about Jon Benet Ramsey:

The%20Knights%20Templar%20Seal.jpg

The red cross was in a lot of images.

So, I don't know if you can claim copyright for that image, but they definitely duplicated your coin design.

The seller looks like a coin collector, judging from his other items for sale. You should find out where he got these. Maybe some other coiners will remember, but weren't there a couple of issues a few years back with a mint making more coins on the side and selling them, or selling the dies? I recall there was a problem like this. Ask your mint what they did with the dies, and/or artwork.

 

Eartha - right on about the closeness of the Ebay item to the Geocoin. It is far to close.

 

The art work, however, of the horse and the cross has been used for many years by the Masonic order. My Dad (who has been deceased for years) was a member of the Knights Templar. I have many pieces of memorabilia with the exact same knight artwork and items with the Red Cross. Although the Masonic order often made coins - I don't happen to have one with this combination (from years ago).

 

The coin offered on Ebay clearly carries features which are very close to the Geocoin (track information and a place for the number). Ebay may close the listing but it is not being offered as a Geocoin. It is being offered as a Masonic coin. Nothing is mentioned about it being "trackable". I suspect some of the bidders are from the Masonic order rather than Geocachers.

 

A search of Knights Templar (without using the word coin) will reveal a lot of items with the knight and cross artwork (very similar to the coin and which historically has belonged to the Masonic Order for hundreds of years). The violation here appears to be someone using a die from which a geocoin was stuck and which has the track at information on it and a spot for the tracking number.

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Caveat emptor.

 

I am wondering why everyone is upset about this. It's just a coin. They aren't selling them as trackable coins on the geocaching site.

 

They are similar, but not identical. While this may not be authorized there is nothing wrong with having something that is "unauthorized". There is nothing illegal about a coin that is similar to another.

 

They aren't advertised as geocoins. (Besides, even if they were it wouldn't matter. Any coin can be a geocoin. I have a quarter ad I can call it a geocoin if I want.)

 

I understand that the designer might be irritated but why would anyone else care?

 

I doubt eBay will do anything. Someone is selling a coin. They are advertising it as a coin. It is a coin. Which came first- the chicken or the egg? How would eBay know which is which? This is much ado about nothing.

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Caveat emptor.

 

I am wondering why everyone is upset about this. It's just a coin. They aren't selling them as trackable coins on the geocaching site.

 

They are similar, but not identical. While this may not be authorized there is nothing wrong with having something that is "unauthorized". There is nothing illegal about a coin that is similar to another.

 

They aren't advertised as geocoins. (Besides, even if they were it wouldn't matter. Any coin can be a geocoin. I have a quarter ad I can call it a geocoin if I want.)

 

I understand that the designer might be irritated but why would anyone else care?

 

I doubt eBay will do anything. Someone is selling a coin. They are advertising it as a coin. It is a coin. Which came first- the chicken or the egg? How would eBay know which is which? This is much ado about nothing.

well, there are many reasons for others to be concerned. mainly, the mint artwork or dies appears to have been stolen. yes...stolen...why? because the designer of this geocoin has spent time and money on this design and on the metal die, and in doing so, the design belongs to the person that spent their time and money to have it produced. this is exactly why ebay has a policy against selling intellectual property that belongs to others.

 

why should you care about it? well, because if you purchase a DVD movie or a music CD, you expect it to be a high quality original, not a cheap duplicate or a black market bootleg. if nobody cared about it, we would all be buying items blindly with no idea what we were getting and the structure of honesty in marketing would collapse. you mention the term "caveat emptor" but the very explanation of this term implies a quality of merchandise:

 

"Under the doctrine of caveat emptor, the buyer could not recover from the seller for defects on the property that rendered the property unfit for ordinary purposes. The only exception was if the seller actively concealed latent defects or otherwise made material misrepresentations amounting to fraud." ~ From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

 

the other thing to consider is that, although you are correct and this item is not being sold as a geocoin, it is almost identical to the "real" geocoin, and people that are not familiar with geocoins (and there are many) may purchase this item thinking they are purchasing one thing and then get another. its deceptive and its unethical and it could cause an honest person a lot of headaches they don't need.

 

if you think ebay won't do anything about it, you are wrong. they take these matters very seriously for all the reasons i just mentioned, and it appears they have already "removed" some of these auctions. just because someone doesn't know an item is stolen does NOT make them less guilty of having in their possession or selling STOLEN PROPERTY. this is also a concern for geocoin sellers on ebay, because if i acquire one of these bootlegs, then i am also in jeopardy if i decide to sell it in the future. so, you see, there are many reasons for others to care about theft of intellectual property. especially when it is as flagrant as it appears to be in this situation. peace.

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also...from ebay's "legally compliant listings" help page:

 

"Make sure your item is authentic:

 

You should not list replicas, fakes, counterfeits, or other illegal copies on eBay. For example, you should avoid listing an item that bears the brand name or logo of a company that did not manufacture or AUTHORIZE the product. Do not list homemade or otherwise UNAUTHORIZED copies of music, movies, television programs, or software. Under the law, it is no excuse to say that you didn't know the item you were selling was a counterfeit. It's your obligation to investigate your source for product and stand behind everything you sell."

Edited by Odyssey Voyager
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Caveat emptor.

 

I am wondering why everyone is upset about this. It's just a coin. They aren't selling them as trackable coins on the geocaching site.

 

They are similar, but not identical. While this may not be authorized there is nothing wrong with having something that is "unauthorized". There is nothing illegal about a coin that is similar to another.

 

They aren't advertised as geocoins. (Besides, even if they were it wouldn't matter. Any coin can be a geocoin. I have a quarter ad I can call it a geocoin if I want.)

 

I understand that the designer might be irritated but why would anyone else care?

 

I doubt eBay will do anything. Someone is selling a coin. They are advertising it as a coin. It is a coin. Which came first- the chicken or the egg? How would eBay know which is which? This is much ado about nothing.

another reason to care is because we here collect coins, if this were to get out of hand no one would by geocoins, and no one would make them and the collecting value of the geocoins would be flushed out the window. no one would know if the geocoins they are buying are real. not to mention, the use of Groundspeak,, they would get a bad name, and then this forum would go away. exc.

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I am wondering why everyone is upset about this. It's just a coin. They aren't selling them as trackable coins on the geocaching site.

 

Look at the picture of the fake and you will see it looks like it says "Track this templar coin at www.geocaching.com" It is hard to tell whether it uses the word "geocaching" or something else because of the picture the seller uses. Either way, that statement on the coin seems clearly designed to misrepresent the coin as being trackable on geocaching.com Caveat emptor does not apply here.

 

Also, I'd love to see a picture of any historical Knights Templar shield image that looks the same as Mambomania's cross and shield design. The Templars' shields looked different. The seller has copied Mambomania's design. If he bothered to do his own design or even use the original Templar Shield design he might have a leg to stand on.

 

Numismatists have been battling Chinese copies for a few hundred years now. It is "just a coin" until you start to pay serious $$$ for them ! How about fake U.S. currency ? Under spec (aka fake) cabling on the Brooklyn Bridge ? Fake AIDS medication ? :)

 

Edit: Provocative examples but there is no grey line with fakes.

Edited by haysonics
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I am wondering why everyone is upset about this. It's just a coin. They aren't selling them as trackable coins on the geocaching site.

 

Look at the picture of the fake and you will see it looks like it says "Track this templar coin at www.geocaching.com" It is hard to tell whether it uses the word "geocaching" or something else because of the picture the seller uses. Either way, that statement on the coin seems clearly designed to misrepresent the coin as being trackable on geocaching.com Caveat emptor does not apply here.

 

Also, I'd love to see a picture of any historical Knights Templar shield image that looks the same as Mambomania's cross and shield design. The Templars' shields looked different. The seller has copied Mambomania's design. If he bothered to do his own design or even use the original Templar Shield design he might have a leg to stand on.

 

Numismatists have been battling Chinese copies for a few hundred years now. It is "just a coin" until you start to pay serious $$$ for them ! How about fake U.S. currency ? Under spec (aka fake) cabling on the Brooklyn Bridge ? Fake AIDS medication ? :)

 

Edit: Provocative examples but there is no grey line with fakes.

 

 

Exactly, Haysonics !!!

I hate that statement, " It's Just a coin"

The same when coins are muggled, "It's just a coin'

It's like your GIVING permission to let it happen.

To the person that DESIGNED it and

PAID 2,000.00 to have it minted, It's not " Just a coin"

and to a REAL collector, It's not '" Just a Coin"

What if someone decided to COPY your sig Item .......

 

ed70e1ef-1f74-439a-ba5e-68e651d281bf.jpg

 

and turn it into a coin .....

 

ef904f02-0b07-470f-8f8e-eb1b98dddc67.jpg

 

And Started selling it on Ebay ...

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There have been numerous lawsuits over stealing ideas. Anybody remember the unauthorized use of "Under Pressure" in Vanilla Ice's song "Ice, Ice Baby"? Vanilla Ice didn't give any royalties for that song to Queen and David Bowie... until several years later.

 

This is pretty much the same thing... trade the music for mint art.

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I sent this guy the following question:

It this coin in any way related to Geocaching? Is it trackable at Geocaching.com?

 

Answer:

ONly if the coin is related to Geocaching (in item description) Thanks

 

I don't see a big problem. Nobody claims to sell a trackable geocoin. And I don't think the the Order of the Templar Knights assumes intellectual property rights.

 

GermanSailor

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Caveat emptor.

 

I am wondering why everyone is upset about this. It's just a coin. They aren't selling them as trackable coins on the geocaching site.

 

They are similar, but not identical. While this may not be authorized there is nothing wrong with having something that is "unauthorized". There is nothing illegal about a coin that is similar to another.

 

They aren't advertised as geocoins. (Besides, even if they were it wouldn't matter. Any coin can be a geocoin. I have a quarter ad I can call it a geocoin if I want.)

 

I understand that the designer might be irritated but why would anyone else care?

 

I doubt eBay will do anything. Someone is selling a coin. They are advertising it as a coin. It is a coin. Which came first- the chicken or the egg? How would eBay know which is which? This is much ado about nothing.

 

I'll give you another reason why it's wrong. When I, as a collector, decide to buy a coin I am basing it on the the original, the number of copies minted and and the desirability of the coin. Now some one comes along who does not recognize intellectual property, makes another thousand of this coin and not only ruins the market but makes it difficult to determine if you are buying a legit coin or not.

 

It's just bad form all the way around.

Edited by Da_Muggle
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What if someone decided to COPY your sig Item .......

 

and turn it into a coin .....

 

And Started selling it on Ebay ...

That would be pretty funny. I just might buy one! (How did you know about our chips?)

 

I used to be a full time eBay seller. It is what my wife and I did to support our family. eBay changed. They used to be very particular and then the change shifted to money. If they remove any auctions it is less money from their pockets. Meg wouldn't like that. (Wait, she's out.)

 

This reminds me of going to a dollar store and finding knock-off items.

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Oops I just bid on one of these :) but 5 others are bidding so maybe Ill be out bid. Does anyone know how to retract a bid? It ends in 22hrs

 

On ebay click on the help link in the upper right corner. Then in the search box type retract bid and that should let you know how to do it..

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I'm not sure if I#m alowed to post this link but here is it:

http://cgi.ebay.com/KNIGHTS-TEMPLAR-MASON-...716238223519449

 

and there is another one, that starts to sell them

http://cgi.ebay.com/RARE-2010-SILVER-KNIGH...583225565266116

 

Does anybody know if all the coins being sold by CENTRAL METAL CORP like above are fakes? I just saw that he has a lot of dog coins listed right now and the back side say they are trackable. It also says Rising Sun Mint.

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I'm not sure if I#m alowed to post this link but here is it:

http://cgi.ebay.com/KNIGHTS-TEMPLAR-MASON-...716238223519449

 

and there is another one, that starts to sell them

http://cgi.ebay.com/RARE-2010-SILVER-KNIGH...583225565266116

 

Does anybody know if all the coins being sold by CENTRAL METAL CORP like above are fakes? I just saw that he has a lot of dog coins listed right now and the back side say they are trackable. It also says Rising Sun Mint.

 

From doing research it seems a lot of people are weary of CMC. They are also selling the Knights Templar coin on their website. Thank goodness when you click on the image on their website it provides you with a large picture so you can read everything on it.

 

KNIGHTSTEMPLARCOINGOLD2.jpg

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I'm not sure if I#m alowed to post this link but here is it:

http://cgi.ebay.com/KNIGHTS-TEMPLAR-MASON-...716238223519449

 

and there is another one, that starts to sell them

http://cgi.ebay.com/RARE-2010-SILVER-KNIGH...583225565266116

 

Does anybody know if all the coins being sold by CENTRAL METAL CORP like above are fakes? I just saw that he has a lot of dog coins listed right now and the back side say they are trackable. It also says Rising Sun Mint.

 

I bought one, tried to activate it, and it wouldn't work. :) Would hate to think it's a fake, but it looks like it is. Mistake I'll never make again. I requested my money back and got a partial refund, thank god.

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I'm not sure if I#m alowed to post this link but here is it:

http://cgi.ebay.com/KNIGHTS-TEMPLAR-MASON-...716238223519449

 

and there is another one, that starts to sell them

http://cgi.ebay.com/RARE-2010-SILVER-KNIGH...583225565266116

 

Does anybody know if all the coins being sold by CENTRAL METAL CORP like above are fakes? I just saw that he has a lot of dog coins listed right now and the back side say they are trackable. It also says Rising Sun Mint.

 

I bought one, tried to activate it, and it wouldn't work. :) Would hate to think it's a fake, but it looks like it is. Mistake I'll never make again. I requested my money back and got a partial refund, thank god.

 

You should get a full refund and report them to ebay along with negative feedback. This is something the coin community doesn't need.....

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Ok, I am knew at all this, so don't flame me too much.

 

1) Unless you have the design actually copyrighted, then you cannot tell eBay or whoever to remove it as copyrighted material. Just because you are the artist, or designer does not mean everything you do is 'copyrighted'. Sad fact, I know :wub:

 

2) For those who get ticked off at people 'muggling' your stuff, then why on earth would you put it in a public container that is designed for people to take things out of? My rule is that whatever I put into a cache is donated to the world. I plan on having some unique trackables, and I plan on releasing them into the wild. And sure, Ill be a bit miffed if someone keeps them, but if I wanted to keep people from taking them then I would put them in a safe deposit box and visit my shiny precious things in private. :(

 

3) If I DO find a nice purty coin that I like in a cache, where would I go to secure my own copy of it?

 

Thanks for the understanding!

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3) If I DO find a nice purty coin that I like in a cache, where would I go to secure my own copy of it?

 

Thanks for the understanding!

 

I would try in the trading thread on this forum. You can also try the original vendor or the original manufacturer. In general, and for several reasons, ebay is not your friend when it comes to buying geocoins. They are generally overpriced and frequently misrepresented. And the list of problems goes on from there, such as the one in this thread and others where low quality copies are being passed off as legitimate geocoins.

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Ok, I am knew at all this, so don't flame me too much.

 

1) Unless you have the design actually copyrighted, then you cannot tell eBay or whoever to remove it as copyrighted material. Just because you are the artist, or designer does not mean everything you do is 'copyrighted'. Sad fact, I know :D

 

2) For those who get ticked off at people 'muggling' your stuff, then why on earth would you put it in a public container that is designed for people to take things out of? My rule is that whatever I put into a cache is donated to the world. I plan on having some unique trackables, and I plan on releasing them into the wild. And sure, Ill be a bit miffed if someone keeps them, but if I wanted to keep people from taking them then I would put them in a safe deposit box and visit my shiny precious things in private. B)

 

3) If I DO find a nice purty coin that I like in a cache, where would I go to secure my own copy of it?

 

Thanks for the understanding!

 

From Wikipedia's entry on copyright:

 

In all countries that are members of the Berne Convention copyright is automatic, and need not be obtained through official registration with any government office. Once an idea has been reduced to tangible form, for example by securing it in a fixed medium (such as a drawing, sheet music, photograph, a videotape, or a computer file), the copyright holder is entitled to enforce his or her exclusive rights. However, while registration isn't needed to exercise copyright, in jurisdictions where the laws provide for registration, it serves as prima facie evidence of a valid copyright. The original copyright owner of the copyright may be the employer of the author rather than the author himself, if the work is a "work for hire".

 

(Emphasis mine). China is a signatory to the Berne Convention, if Wikipedia's map (at the same url as above) is to believed.

 

In other words, you don't need to register your work in order to obtain a copyright (in the US, at least), but it does help your claim.

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1) Unless you have the design actually copyrighted, then you cannot tell eBay or whoever to remove it as copyrighted material. Just because you are the artist, or designer does not mean everything you do is 'copyrighted'. Sad fact, I know :D

 

 

Someone used a picture of mine on ebay without my permission. I filed the complaint and it was removed.

I asked the Groundspeak lawyer about use of pictures that are posted on this site. He told me the person who actually took the pictures is the copyright holder and permission is required to use them.

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3) If I DO find a nice purty coin that I like in a cache, where would I go to secure my own copy of it?

 

Thanks for the understanding!

 

I would try in the trading thread on this forum. You can also try the original vendor or the original manufacturer. In general, and for several reasons, ebay is not your friend when it comes to buying geocoins. They are generally overpriced and frequently misrepresented. And the list of problems goes on from there, such as the one in this thread and others where low quality copies are being passed off as legitimate geocoins.

 

How do you find the original vendor or manuf?

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3) If I DO find a nice purty coin that I like in a cache, where would I go to secure my own copy of it?

 

Thanks for the understanding!

 

I would try in the trading thread on this forum. You can also try the original vendor or the original manufacturer. In general, and for several reasons, ebay is not your friend when it comes to buying geocoins. They are generally overpriced and frequently misrepresented. And the list of problems goes on from there, such as the one in this thread and others where low quality copies are being passed off as legitimate geocoins.

 

How do you find the original vendor or manuf?

 

If you know the correct name of the coin you can google it. We can be pretty helpful here so if that doesn't work come in here and ask and I bet somebody can point you in the right direction. :laughing:

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I'll give you another reason why it's wrong. When I, as a collector, decide to buy a coin I am basing it on the the original, the number of copies minted and and the desirability of the coin. Now some one comes along who does not recognize intellectual property, makes another thousand of this coin and not only ruins the market but makes it difficult to determine if you are buying a legit coin or not.

 

It's just bad form all the way around.

It's not difficult at all to determin a fake:

 

Trackable at Geocaching.com --> Original

NOT trackable at Geocaching.com --> Fake. I wish it was always that easy to identify a fake.

 

GermanSailor

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